Aaron's Serpents
: When we are born, we begin in darkness, inside the Ash. The first sensation that we experience is taste. We are young then, and do not comprehend imperfection. Therefore we taste a perfect thing: the rich sap of the tree. The Tree is that which offers sap to the younglings. : The second sensation that we experience is sound. We are young then, and do not comprehend imperfection. Therefore we hear a perfect thing: the deep heartbeat of the Tree, that soothes and heals and is beyond any circumstance. The tree is that which soothes the younglings with its heart. : The third sensation that we experience is touch. We feel the rough inner surface of the Tree that carries us. We are young then and do not comprehend imperfection. Therefore we touch a perfect thing: the warmth of the Tree, and the inner wood that scrapes away our baby scales. The Tree is what gives the younglings warmth and helps them molt. : The fourth sensation that we experience is sight. We break our way free from Yggdrasil's embrace and see the first time, the world beyond our world. We are young then, and do not comprehend imperfection. Therefore we see a perfect thing: a nigh infinite expanse of places to cling and things to hold on to - and above it all, the stars. The Tree is that on which the youngster coils. All these things are what define the Tree. : The fifth sensation follows a moment after. It is selfhood, the knowledge of oneself as an individual being. When we know ourselves, we understand imperfection, and the world we see need be perfect no more. : '- A Philosophy of Aaron's Serpents' Aaron's Serpents enormous creatures, born and nurtured in the bark of Yggdrasil, the World Ash. They are called Leviathans, or sea monsters, on Earth, and many of them choose make their Chancels in the sea. Among the Imperators, and although they have no one single creed, they have the most sympathetic philosophies, ones that are the closest to human. By human standards, they are sane, responsible, and respect all life, especially those of trees. The Aaron's Serpents will teach others how to listen to the heartbeat of the World Ash and to be attuned to reality, and will not condescend, even to mortals. They have no concept of theft or property, because from birth, everything has been given to them. Rather, they have a philosophy of duty: one must only take what one has earned. Most Serpents slither across the surface of Yggdrasil, destroying Excrucians whenever possible, while others will make their Chancels on Earth or other threatened worlds to aid in their defence. Crippled Serpents and ones that have been wounded in battle have been known to starve themselves and even die because they saw no way to earn the nourishing sap of Yggdrasil. They hate fire and saws, both being agents used to destroy trees. Powers must be careful to not carry, use or wield either when near the World Ash, or risk incurring the wrath of an Aaron's Serpent. Similarly, Powers Affiliated to Aaron's Serpents, depending on playstyle, must be careful not to harm trees. Doing so can result in a loss of MP. While humans are born from the natural law of Earth, Aaron's Serpents are born from the natural law of Yggdrasil, which protects them from the physical laws of earth, allowing them to attain their gigantic size - larger than whales, dinosaurs or buildings. They generally ignore the Valde Bellum. Occasionally they will slither across the Earth, making large disturbances, although the life force of the Ash courses through them and allows Serpents to transfer their massive weight across the ground without ever leaving a track. The disturbances are dealt with by Lord Entropy, who kills the witnesses rather than punishing the Serpents, for imprisoning them is nearly impossible and Serpents themselves are unkillable. The Estates of Aaron's Serpents are neither beautiful nor corrupt, and are not necessarily concerned with the affairs of man, thus they are separate from the Estates of Heaven, Hell, Light, and Dark. Nor are the Serpents consequently agents of the Wild, for they maintain their sanity and are born in Creation from the tree Yggdrasil. Aaron's Serpents believe stars to be sacred, claiming that they are the first children of the Ash. Other than those who hold oaths as implausible, the Aaron's Serpents say that when the world ends, Yggdrasil will devour itself and emerge, reborn. All the Serpents who served the Ash faithfully will be consumed in this process and join the first children as stars. Book of Beasts